Ranking and counting down all 792 baseball cards, from worst to best, in a mostly objective manner.

Monday, May 29, 2017

573rd Place - Curt Young

Card #103
It's funny how one guy can spend an entire lifetime associated with one team, but Curt Young is one of those examples.

He was drafted by Oakland in 1981 and made his first appearance in the majors by 1983 and pretty much stayed with the big club through the 1991 season, split time in 1992 with the Royals and Yankees, and had his swan song back with the A's in 1993.

That also means Young was part of the 1988-1990 World Series teams in Oakland, though he only got an inning of work in the two World Series losses and did not appear in a game the year they won (1989). Essentially, Young was the fifth starter that didn't sniff a postseason game with guys like Dave Stewart and Bob Welch around.

After his playing career he spent eight years coaching in the minors before getting promoted as the Athletic's pitching coach in 2004. That lasted until 2011, when he spent a year in Boston in the same role. But starting again in 2012 Young was back in Oakland, where he still serves today.

This card is kind of cool looking, though it feels overly zoomed-in for my preferences.